Rajasthan HC allows rape victim to terminate pregnancy

The Rajasthan High Court Tuesday allowed a rape victim to abort her over 20-week-old foetus.

Before arriving at the decision, the court sought a report from a medical board here.

The report stated that the physical and mental condition of the victim was right to undergo the procedure of termination of pregnancy.

"After receiving the report, Justice Ashok Kumar Gaur granted her the permission for termination of her pregnancy with immediate effect in order to avoid any further complications," said Ankur Mathur, counsel for the victim.

The victim, a resident of Udaipur district, was raped about six months ago and learnt about her pregnancy last month.

The matter was referred to the high court in Jodhpur by the District Legal Service Authority, Udaipur to which the matter had been reported for termination.

"The court sought medical opinion considering the foetus to be over 20 weeks. The board in its report stated that the victim would be able to handle the termination procedure both physically and mentally," Mathur said.